Join us for a special breakfast event with the Texas State Senator who came to national attention when she launched a historic 13-hour filibuster that blocked the worst attack on women’s health in the nation. Though she was unsuccessful in her bid to become the Lone Star State’s first Democratic governor in 20 years, Wendy shattered records in both fundraising and volunteer recruitment.

In her acclaimed memoir Forgetting to Be Afraid, Wendy also shared her personal experiences with abortion, shining a light on a subject that is too often hidden in the shadows of shame and stigma. An attorney who graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, she also has been a champion for survivors of sexual assault, passing legislation to clear a backlog of more than 20,000 untested rape kits.

Are you ready to stand in solidarity with the thousands of Oregon women, men and families whose lives and futures depend on access to basic health care? Are you prepared to demand that these basic principles guide legislators and those in power as they consider policies that impact women’s health?

Once every two years, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon mobilizes citizen lobbyists from throughout the state to amplify their voices. We’ll provide an extensive, robust and fun training; march to the State Capitol; and meet with elected officials to protect women’s health in Oregon. Our 2015 legislative agenda includes:

Protecting funding for family planning: Our main focus is always first to preserve and protect the critical funding for women’s health care. As you probably know, family planning is a smart investment that saves Oregon taxpayers millions of dollars every year, and we want to ensure that the state budget isn’t balanced on the backs of vulnerable patients who need lifesaving healthcare services.

Advancing proactive legislation: Additionally, we will be working hard to pass a comprehensive women’s health bill, a bill to protect patient privacy and a bill to expand access to men’s reproductive health care. We also strongly support an agenda that will give Oregonians a fair shot at getting ahead by increasing the minimum wage, requiring earned sick time and creating retirement security.

Our main focus is always first to preserve and protect the critical funding for women’s health care. As you probably know, family planning is a smart investment that saves Oregon taxpayers millions of dollars every year, and we want to ensure that the state budget isn’t balanced on the backs of vulnerable patients who need lifesaving health care services.

Additionally, we will be working hard to pass a comprehensive women’s health bill, a bill to protect patient privacy and a bill to expand access to men’s reproductive health care. We will also fight back against any anti-women’s health care bills that would limit access to safe and legal abortion.

Why do we need to lobby?

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon regularly invites supporters from every corner of the state to meet with their local elected leaders in Salem. It’s a powerful way to remind our representatives that their constituents back at home believe that women’s health issues are economic issues, that it’s important that abortion remain a safe and legal medical procedure, that education and access to family planning services prevent unintended pregnancy and keep women safe. Plus, it’s incredibly empowering to represent your home district on behalf of the organization and the issues you care most about. Join us!

How will meetings get set up?

Key organizers work to prearrange meetings with your legislators. When you arrive, we will give you all the information about where and when your meetings will be.

How do I get to Planned Parenthood Day of Action?

People are responsible for their own transportation to and from Salem, but we are happy to help you facilitate a carpool. If you are interested in being a carpool driver or rider, please let us know when you register. Free parking accommodations will be available.

Is there training available?

Yes! We will start the day with an extensive, robust and fun training on the messages of Planned Parenthood Day of Action. (Please be sure to arrive on time so you don’t miss our special guest speakers!) Don’t worry if you’ve never lobbied before: You can feel confident that after the morning session, you will be prepared to effectively represent Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon and yourself in the Capitol!

What should I wear? What if the weather is bad?

Rain, shine, sleet or snow – unless the Capitol is closed, Planned Parenthood Day of Action will still take place. After lunch there will be a march from Mission Mill Museum to the Oregon State Capitol, which is about a 10-minute walk, so please dress in layers and be prepared for rain and/or the cold. Attire is "business casual," and we ask that you refrain from wearing jeans when conducting meetings with elected officials. Comfortable shoes will help you navigate through the Capitol more easily, too! We will happily facilitate accommodations for people with physical limitations.

What if I have food restrictions?

PPAO will be glad to make reasonable accommodations for special food restrictions, although we may not be able to account for every potential food need. We intend to have gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan lunch options available.

I have friends who want to attend. Should they just show up?

We need participants to sign up in advance. Please have people register here no later than April 5th.

How can I stay updated?

Upon registration, you will be mailed a packet of information to prepare for Planned Parenthood Day of Action. Your local Field Organizers will follow up with regular updates via email – and they can’t wait to meet you! If you have any questions before you register, please contact Field Director Nichi Masters Linder at nichi.linder@PPAOregon.org.

We’ve all had them: dates that go terribly, hilariously awry. Let’s commisserate together - while supporting Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon - at our 6th annual Valentine’s benefit, It’s Not Me, It’s You: Stories from the Dark Side of Dating!

Brave local personalities will share mortifying memories about their worst dates for your entertainment...their pain is your gain! You’ll leave either feeling grateful for your current relationship or with the realization that being single isn’t so bad after all.

Proceeds will help Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon keep Oregon the No. 1 state for reproductive freedom. All advance ticketholders are entered in a drawing for fabulous door prizes, so get your tickets today!

It’s true! Every year, the Oregon Political Tax Credit allows taxpaying Oregonians to give $50 per person or $100 per couple to a PAC and receive this amount back at tax time. In other words, the state gives you a $50 gift to donate to the political cause of your choice. It’s a full 100% credit, not a deduction!

With your contribution, Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon can continue to get results like these:

Educating Voters: In the 2014 election cycle, we made 444,655 contacts with voters, helping strengthen the pro-women’s health majority in the Oregon Legislature!

Protecting Women’s Health: By ensuring support in Salem, we can continue to defend family-planning programs and block attacks on reproductive freedom. We’ll also push hard to protect patient privacy and expand access to women’s health care.

Defending Oregon’s Constitution: This year we kept a dangerous constitutional amendment off the ballot that would have prohibited access to medically necessary abortion coverage for low-income women. Opponents of women’s health are already threatening to propose city-based attacks on safe, legal abortion - and we’ll be ready to stop them with your help.

As the executive directors of Basic Rights Oregon Equality PAC, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon PAC, and Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon we are writing today to urge you to ask Rep. Dennis Richardson to make clear whether he opposes abortion rights and the freedom for all Oregonians to marry.

Voters deserve accurate information about who will represent them in elected office. Too often, candidates will say one thing on the campaign trail in order to get elected, hiding their true agenda until safely in office.

Dennis Richardson has spent the past 11 years voting against Oregon women and the LGBT community, but now that he’s running for governor, he’s running away from his record and claiming that “the social issues have already been decided.”

We’ve heard that before.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory promised on the campaign trail that he wouldn’t restrict abortion access, then he signed a law imposing costly, medically unnecessary rules that could shut down every provider in the state.

Dennis Richardson is inviting extreme Texas Governor Rick Perry to Lake Oswego to raise money for his campaign and he’s accepting giant checks from Oregon Right to Life, yet he expects voters to believe that limiting access to abortion and contraception isn’t on his agenda?

We’re calling on editors and debate hosts to raise these important questions so that Dennis Richardson can’t have it both ways.

The governor’s office has the power to sign anti-women’s-health legislation and make judicial and agency appointments that would roll back the clock on women and the LGBT community. Richardson’s record on these and other issues is abysmal.

Dennis Richardson voted against expanding contraception coverage and long opposed basic rights for the LGBT community, like domestic partnerships and the freedom to marry for all couples and went so far as to compare the "tragic" passage of domestic partnerships and nondiscrimination legislation to a mass shooting.

He has compared homosexuality to behaviors like smoking and drinking, saying that behavior shouldn't be protected from discrimination and that gays and lesbians can change.

As a state and a nation, we have decided that discrimination like this is counter to who we are and the values we share.

We need a governor who isn’t afraid to hold himself accountable and stand up for freedom and equality for all Oregonians, no matter who you are or who you love.

We’re calling on editors and debate hosts to raise these important questions because voters deserve to know who Dennis Richardson really is.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon has made endorsements in the following ballot measure campaigns:

Yes on 88 (Safe Roads): All Oregonians should have a safe and legal way to access health care. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon supports YES on Measure 88 because we believe in healthy communities and safe roads.

Yes on 89 (Equal Rights Amendment): As advocates for women’s health care in Oregon, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon endorses the Equal Rights Amendment as an opportunity to reinforce the need for gender equality in our state. Oregon women continue to face unequal treatment in their access to health care and in their paychecks, and we are committed to fighting gender discrimination at every level.

No on 90 (Top Two Primary): By limiting election choices to just two candidates in the fall, Measure 90 would deny many voters the ability to vote for candidates who truly represent their values and positions. In many legislative races, voters would be forced to choose between two candidates from just one party—with very similar platforms. That will mean that in some races voters will only be able to choose between two candidates who both oppose women’s right to reproductive choices. PPAO is opposed to changing the Oregon primary system and limiting voter’s choices in this way.

In 1990, Richardson wrote a letter to the editor of The Oregonian claiming that "a woman relinquishes her unfettered right to control her own body when her actions cause the conception of a baby." Click here for the full text.

Laura Terrill Patten, Executive Director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, said: "Dennis Richardson's comments are outrageous, offensive and out of touch with Oregon values. More than 40 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the constitutionally protected right to privacy includes every woman's ability to make her own personal medical decisions, without the interference of politicians like Dennis Richardson. Oregonians overwhelmingly believe that abortion should remain a safe and legal medical procedure for a woman to consider if she needs it. Dennis Richardson has a vision for Oregon that looks an awful lot like the 1950s, and women will not let him take us back."

Time after time, Richardson has interfered in a woman's personal medical decisions:

In 2005, Richardson introduced a fetal "personhood" bill.

In 2006, Richardson was chief sponsor of Ballot Measure 43, which would have endangered young women's health by requiring parental notification prior to an abortion.

In 2007, Richardson was one of only nine House members to vote against a bill requiring insurance companies to cover birth control and requiring hospitals to offer emergency contraceptives to women after a sexual assault.

In 2009, Richardson was one of only 19 votes against medically accurate, age-appropriate sexual health education.

In 2013, Richardson accepted a $20,000 donation from Oregon Right To Life to push its radical agenda, which includes a ban on all abortion (even in cases of rape and incest) and certain forms of birth control.

In contrast, Governor John Kitzhaber has a long record as a women's health champion:

In 1994, Governor Kitzhaber became a nationally recognized leader for health care transformation, providing lifesaving care to thousands of low- and moderate-income Oregon families and their children through the Oregon Health Plan.

In 1999, Governor Kitzhaber vetoed the entire human resources budget because it included a ban on access to safe, legal abortion for low-income Oregonians.

In 1999, Governor Kitzhaber vetoed a bill that would have endangered young women's health by requiring parental notification prior to an abortion.

In 2013, Governor Kitzhaber signed a bill to promote the early detection of breast cancer by requiring doctors to notify patients of dense breast tissue indicated by a mammogram.

In 2014, Governor Kitzhaber called the U.S. Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision - allowing some bosses to interfere with their employees' access to birth control - "the wrong direction for women's health."

Across the country, there have been more attacks on our reproductive freedoms in the past three years than in the entire previous decade. Voters are ready to defend women’s health champions who want to move our country and economy forward — and defeat politicians who want to turn back the clock on women’s access to health care. When politicians dismiss and demean women’s health, they’re going to pay for it at the ballot box.

Oregon stands as the last remaining state in the nation with no restrictions to abortion access. The best way to maintain this status is to protect critical pro-women’s health seats in the Oregon Legislature, and defend against anti-women’s health candidates running for office. Building our base of support across the state will help us accomplish this work in 2014, as we remind women and men what’s at stake, and how they can make sure we don’t backslide in November.

Get involved!The Pink Party is also the largest annual fundraiser for the Multnomah County Leadership & Advocacy Team, which is working on the frontlines to keep Oregon the No. 1 state for reproductive freedom! Learn how you can join us at the local level to make a real difference in promoting access to lifesaving, affordable, nonjudgmental health services.

“At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over the male colleagues in the room?”

Join us for a special breakfast event with Leticia Van de Putte, the Texas State Senator who is campaigning to make history as the first Latina Lieutenant Governor of the Lone Star State. Leticia came to national attention in June 2013 when she left her father’s funeral to join her colleague Wendy Davis in blocking the worst attack on women’s health in the nation. The epic 13-hour filibuster drew praise from the White House and fired up a whole new generation of activists who will be vocal about demanding that their leaders protect women’s health. A practicing pharmacist since 1980, Leticia has served as President of the National Conference of State Legislatures and as a Kellogg Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

We will also proudly present the Marilyn Epstein Pro-Choice Champion Award to Senator Jeff Merkley in honor of his longtime commitment to our movement.

Spring is such a wonderful time to celebrate women’s health. And that’s just what the Lane County Leadership & Advocacy Team is looking to do at Uncorked: Wine, Women & Song on Wednesday, April 9th at Territorial Vineyard & Wine Company in Eugene.

At this 21-and-over event, we’ll enjoy delicious wine and hors d’oeuvres while listening to the sweet serenade of Mood Area 52. Here is a description of the popular neo-tango ensemble:

Mood Area 52 started in 1998 as a Piazzolla-inspired neo-tango and silent film score ensemble. Since then, the group has morphed into an ensemble defined more by instrumentation and mood than genre. Their most recent releases, Company Town and 1952 Philanski House, blend roots rock, instrumental tango, jazz, blues, Balkan influences, ranchera, American folk, country, Brechtian cabaret and classical music.

Mood Area 52 has performed with The Squirrel Nut Zippers, Chuck Palhnuik, Rasputina, Devotchka, The Vagabond Opera and many other polite and brilliant musicians. They perform in venues ranging from clubs to festival stages to alzheimers wards, accompanying burlesque troops and providing original soundtracks to golden age films. Mood Area 52 has written and performed original soundtracks to F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, the dystopian sci-fi classic La Jette, Sunset Boulevard, Buster Keaton’s films, the short films of Geoges Mellies, advertisements and television programs. They have been featured on NPR, Argentinian national public radio and Northwest public radio affiliates, including the theme music for KLCC’s News at Noon program.

There have been more attacks on our reproductive rights in the past three years than in the entire previous decade. In 2014, it’s time to fight back—by electing candidates who will stand up for our health. Please join us as we gear up our local advocacy team for a robust election year!

The Affordable Care Act has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons: website glitches, canceled insurance plans, misinformation to scare young folks from enrolling.

What’s lost in all of this negativity is the incredible progress that the ACA represents for women’s health. About 140,000 Oregon women of reproductive age are now eligible for new, more affordable health insurance plans.

About 360,000 Oregon women are already benefiting from essential, cost-effective preventive care without the economic burden of co-pays. Oregon women with pre-existing conditions like breast cancer no longer can be denied lifesaving coverage.

That’s just the beginning. In addition, all insurance plans will have to cover doctor visits, maternity care, emergency care, prescriptions, birth control and breast-feeding support services. All insurance plans will have to show the costs and what is covered in simple language and with no fine print. And if you make less than $45,960 a year, financial help is available to help pay for your new coverage.

This is real progress that will have a real impact on real Oregonians:

• A breast cancer survivor writes, “I have the freedom of knowing that if cancer ever returned, my insurance would still help me, rather than disqualifying my coverage as a ‘pre-existing condition.’”

• A health care provider writes, “As a senior on Medicare, I no longer have to pay for yearly checkups or for yearly mammograms.”

• A third-year college student writes, “Obamacare can help me take care of my overall health, but most importantly my reproductive health.”

• A mother writes, “My 11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 18 months ago. She will forever have a pre-existing condition that entails expensive daily medications that keep her incredible self alive, thriving and contributing her best to all of us. With Obamacare, she will never have to go without what keeps her alive — and she will make a difference. She already does.”

In families across the country, women are the primary decision makers on health care. That’s why women demanded that health care reform needed to make women’s health a priority.

Already, Oregon is leading the way on the ACA. Within just a matter of weeks after enrollment began, we saw a 10 percent drop in uninsured Oregonians. As of Jan. 7, about 170,000 Oregonians were starting the new year with comprehensive health care coverage.

If you’re ready to enroll now, you can submit a paper application through Cover Oregon. The website, PlannedParenthoodHealthInsuranceFacts.org, helps explain what to consider as a woman in choosing a health insurance plan, among other important things.

Yes, the online enrollment system isn’t working perfectly now — but it’s being fixed. What won’t change is the incredible progress for women’s health secured by the Affordable Care Act. This is a historic moment worth celebrating.

Josie Sustaire is a Roseburg resident who serves as chair of Law Students for Reproductive Justice at University of Oregon. She can be reached at josie@uoregon.edu.

We’ve all had them: dates that go terribly, hilariously awry. Let’s commisserate together - while supporting Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon - at our 5th annual Valentine’s benefit, It’s Not Me, It’s You: Stories from the Dark Side of Dating!

Brave local personalities will share mortifying memories about their worst dates for your entertainment...their pain is your gain! You’ll leave either feeling grateful for your current relationship or with the realization that being single isn’t so bad after all.

Proceeds will help Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon keep Oregon the No. 1 state for reproductive freedom. All advance ticketholders are entered in a drawing for fabulous door prizes, so get your tickets today!

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon feels your pain. In December in Eugene and Portland, shake off the seasonal stress while supporting a great cause at our 3rd annual holiday party, Naughty Listed: Stories of Holiday Misbehavior! You can even get a jump start on your holiday shopping by treating a friend to a fun night on the town!

Naughty Listed is a festive evening that will help keep Oregon the No. 1 state for reproductive freedom. For the 3rd year, we've asked Oregon's sharpest storytellers to share hilarious memories of holiday mischief and wintry discontent. See you there!

Did you know that Faye Wattleton was the first woman named President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America?

Did you know that, after the American Revolution, New Jersey allowed women the right to vote until 1807?

Did you know that, with the implementation of the Affordable Care
Act, many preventive services for women’s reproductive health are now
covered without co-pays?

You might be asking, “OK, but what do these questions all have in
common?” Answer: They’ll help you brush up for a special edition of
“Know and Tell Trivia” on October 23rd to benefit Planned Parenthood
Advocates of Oregon’s Multnomah County Legislative Action Team!

Please join us for a fun and educational evening at Know and Tell Trivia Goes Pink! Our host Andy Maggi will cover topics including reproductive rights,
health care and sex. You’ll have the opportunity to win great prizes
from local businesses while supporting the work of Planned Parenthood
Advocates of Oregon.

Trivia Night will also be a fun way to learn more about the Multnomah
County Legislative Action Team, which meets once a month for planning
and strategy meetings and participates in activities that protect the
basic health care services our community needs. If you’re interested in
participating in advocacy at a higher level - or
just want to have a great time learning some awesome women’s health
trivia - please join us!

WHAT: Know and Tell Trivia Goes Pink!WHEN: 8-10pm Wednesday, October 23rdWHERE: The Waypost, 3120 N Williams Ave., PortlandCOST: $10 a team (1-5 players a team)RSVP: Please help us spread the word by sharing the Facebook event page with your friends!

Halloween can be scary – but it’s nothing compared to the desperate scare tactics that politicians are using to sabotage Obamacare.

Fortunately, the Lane County Legislative Action Team is here to support Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon’s work in protecting women’s health! Join us in celebrating our accomplishments October 28th at the Lane County Halloween Party!

For the entire day, Falling Sky Brewing House and Falling Sky Pour House & Delicatessen are donating a portion of sales of their hand-crafted beers and sodas, barrel-to-tap wines and delicious food. That evening, the Lane County Legislative Action Team will be at each location to share exciting news about our latest campaign – and to award prizes for best costume at each location!

Bring it with you when you purchase food, beverage, merchandise and gift certificates at Falling Sky Brewing House and Falling Sky Pour House & Delicatessen.

25% of your entire bill will be donated to the Lane County Legislative Action Team!

The party will also be a fun way to learn more about the Lane County Legislative Action Team, which meets once a month for planning and strategy meetings and participates in activities that protect the basic health care services our community needs. If you’re interested in participating in advocacy at a higher level - or just want to have a great time while supporting women’s health - please join us!

WHAT: Lane County Halloween Party!WHEN: 11am-midnight Monday, October 28th. Meet the Lane County Legislative Action Team and enter the costume contest from 6-8pm at each location!WHERE: Falling Sky Brewing House (1334 Oak Alley, Eugene) and Falling Sky Pour House & Delicatessen (790 Blair Blvd., Eugene). Parking is limited, so carpooling is encouraged. (Don't forget to print or show your flier, available here!)RSVP: Please help us spread the word by sharing the Facebook event page with your friends!

Rock your body to DJ Anjali! Made in India and born in Oregon, our headliner is credited with introducing “bhangra” and “Bollywood” to the dance floors of Portland. She says she got into DJing “after watching too many dudes run the soundtrack at house parties.” Joining her will be DJ Hero Worship and DJ Sappho.

Get involved! The Pink Party is also the largest annual fundraiser for the Multnomah County Legislative Action Team, which is working on the frontlines to keep Oregon the No. 1 state for reproductive freedom! Learn how you can join us at the local level to make a real difference in promoting access to lifesaving, affordable, nonjudgmental health services.

Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges is here! This means that...

All insurance plans will have to cover doctor visits, maternity care, emergency care, prescriptions, birth control and breastfeeding support services.

You might be able to get financial help to pay for a health insurance plan.

If you have a pre-existing condition, insurance plans cannot deny you coverage.

All insurance plans will have to show the costs and what is covered in simple language and with no fine print.

Despite the obvious health and economic benefits of Obamacare, there are still politicians and bosses standing in the way. Politicians in Congress have repeatedly tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act and its historic benefits for millions of women. In addition, more than a dozen lawsuits brought by bosses of private companies who think they should be allowed to stand between a woman and her birth control are still making their way through the courts.

Meanwhile, opponents of women’s health are actively gathering signatures to place a measure on the 2014 ballot that would strip funding for abortion services from the lowest-income women in our state. We must stand strong against these continued attacks.

Legal birth control: an overlooked milestone

June marks the 48th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in
Griswold v. Connecticut, which struck down a state law that made the use
of birth control by married couples illegal. The court’s landmark
decision — coming five years to the month after oral contraceptives
became available to American women and 49 years after Margaret Sanger
opened the first birth control clinic in the United States — provided
the first constitutional protection for birth control for women across
the country. Before that, a woman’s ability to control the size and
timing of her family depended on her ZIP code.

Since Griswold,
maternal and infant health has improved dramatically, and women have
been able to fulfill increasingly diverse educational, social, political
and professional aspirations. The number of women in the U.S. labor
force has more than tripled, the number of women lawyers has increased
tenfold, the number completing four or more years of college has
increased more than fivefold, and in 2010, women received more than half
of all doctoral degrees. This is enormous progress and it will only
continue, thanks to the Affordable Care Act’s preventive benefit, which
includes birth control without a copay.

Today, 99 percent of
sexually active women say they have used birth control at some point in
their lives — with 58 percent of those reporting that they use it for a
wide range of health reasons, like treating endometriosis, a
little-understood disease that affects 5.5 million women and is a
leading cause of infertility. Increased access to birth control is also
linked to declines in maternal and infant mortality, and it can reduce
the risk of ovarian cancer. That’s why, as the leading women’s health
care provider and advocate, Planned Parenthood fought so hard to ensure
that all FDA-approved prescription contraception methods, including
emergency contraception when prescribed, are covered under the
Affordable Care Act’s preventive benefit. The benefit also has support
from the nation’s leading medical experts like the Institute of Medicine
and the National Academy of Sciences.

Already, women are
reporting that they’re saving up to $600 a year on prescriptions —
that’s the equivalent of five weeks of groceries for a family of four,
nine tanks of gas in a minivan or one semester of college textbooks.
When fully enacted, the Affordable Care Act will give approximately 47
million women nationally access to birth control, without cost being an
issue.

Despite its obvious health and economic benefits, there are
still politicians and bosses standing in the way. Ten states have laws
allowing health care providers to refuse to provide birth control, and
there are six states with laws or regulations that permit pharmacists to
refuse to fill a woman’s birth control prescription. Just recently,
politicians in Congress tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act and its
historic benefits for millions of women. In addition, more than a dozen
lawsuits brought by bosses of private companies that think they should
be allowed to stand between a woman and her birth control are still
making their way through the courts.

Planned Parenthood Advocates
of Oregon works every day to break down the barriers that still exist
between women and their ability to access contraception. I celebrate
their work to ensure that every woman — no matter where she lives or who
her boss is — has access to birth control, without cost being an issue.

Tricia Stumpf lives in Bend and works as the manager of Planned Parenthood’s Central Oregon Health Center in Bend.

The Salem-Keizer School Board election is coming up Tuesday, May 21st, and three leaders are facing opposition solely because they support Planned Parenthood providing age-appropriate and medically accurate sex education. Your vote matters!

At issue is the Teen Outreach Program (TOP), a research-based curriculum provided by Planned Parenthood educators through a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Marion County consistently reports higher rates of teen pregnancy than the rest of the state, and this program has been proven to reduce teen pregnancy and increase graduation rates.

Following sold-out keynote addresses by Professor Anita Hill in 2011 and author/spy Valerie Plame Wilson in 2012, we are thrilled to add Sandra Fluke to this stellar lineup of powerful women who speak truth in the face of hostility. This is how she was described in her nomination for TIME's Person of the Year 2012:

The daughter of a conservative Christian pastor, Sandra Fluke, 31, became a women's-rights activist in college and continued her advocacy as a law student at Georgetown. After being denied a chance to testify at a Republican-run House hearing on insurance coverage for birth control, Rush Limbaugh called Fluke a "slut." Democrats and many Republicans reacted with outrage, and the left made Limbaugh's slur Exhibit A in what they called a GOP "war on women." Fluke, meanwhile, weathered the attention with poise and maturity and emerged as a political celebrity. Democrats gave her a national-convention speaking slot as part of their push to make reproductive rights a central issue in the 2012 presidential campaign — one that helped Barack Obama trounce Mitt Romney among single women on Election Day.

The Courageous Voice Breakfast will also bestow the 3rd Annual Marilyn Epstein Champion Award to Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum for her years of advocacy on behalf of contraceptive parity, paid
family leave and domestic violence prevention.

Pour One for Planned
Parenthood will be a festive celebration of our accomplishments
featuring tasty microbrews, local entertainment from GRRRLZ ROCK and
raffle prizes. The Granary Pizza & Nightclub (formerly Jo
Federigo’s) will be serving rustic Italian pizza and homemade pasta
using local, organic and sustainable ingredients. (Vegan and gluten-free
options are available.)

Proceeds benefit the Lane County
Legislative Action Team, which supports the political and legislative
work of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon by meeting once a month
for planning and strategy meetings and participating in activities that
protect the basic health care services our community needs. If you’re
interested in participating in advocacy at a higher level, please join
us!

The Oregon Senate Committee on Health Care and Human Services will hold a
hearing April 1st on Senate Bill 490, a measure introduced by Planned
Parenthood Advocates of Oregon to stop fake medical clinics from
misleading vulnerable women and endangering public health.

SB 490 addresses so-called "Crisis Pregnancy Centers," which are run
by organizations that are opposed to safe, legal abortion and certain
forms of birth control. Young women go to CPCs looking for medical care
and nonjudgmental counseling about their pregnancy options, but instead
they get wildly inaccurate medical claims: abortion causes breast
cancer, birth control is a form of abortion, condoms don't prevent
sexually transmitted diseases, etc. In fact, a congressional
investigation revealed that 87% of CPCs provide false or misleading
information about the health effects of abortion. In addition, women are
denied needed referrals for basic health care services. To make matters
worse, CPCs are not required to follow the same protocol and standards
to protect the privacy of patient records as real licensed medical
facilities.

"More than 13,000 Oregonians have signed our petition calling for
passage of SB 490," says Laura Terrill Patten, Executive Director of
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. "Young women in crisis are being
misled at the most vulnerable time in their lives with misleading
information and scare tactics. This has to stop."

If passed, SB 490 would establish minimum consumer rights by
requiring CPCs to post notices accurately disclosing the services they
provide and by prohibiting them from disclosing personal medical
information without consent. The Oregon Medical Association, the Oregon
Nurses Association and NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon have endorsed the
measure.

Join Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon for a day at the Capitol and meet with elected officials to discuss bills that affect women’s health care. One of the most effective ways to influence public policy is to educate key decision-makers about your concerns and to propose concrete solutions. We will provide you with coffee, lunch and training before you head off to meet your lawmakers.

On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a historic ruling in Roe v. Wade, confirming that the constitutionally protected right to privacy includes every woman’s right to access safe and legal abortion.

PPAO’s Jimmy Radosta will host an evening featuring readings from these contributors:

Lidia Yuknavitch, author (The Chronology of Water, Dora: A Head Case)

Kevin Sampsell, author (A Common Pornography)

Sarah Mirk, journalist (The Portland Mercury, Bitch Magazine)

Camille Hayes, social advocate and writer (LadyTroubles.com)

Kim Wyatt, publisher and editor (Bona Fide Books, Cherry Bomb Books)

As the nation’s leading women’s health care provider and advocate, Planned Parenthood knows firsthand why it’s so critical that women have access to a comprehensive range of reproductive health care services. We look forward to commemorating this historic milestone and to sharing how you can get involved to help protect choice and keep women healthy.

We’ve all had them: dates that go terribly, hilariously awry. Let’s commisserate together - while supporting Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon - at our 4th annual Valentine’s Day benefit, It’s Not Me, It’s You: Stories from the Dark Side of Dating!

Brave local personalities will share mortifying memories about their worst dates for your entertainment...their pain is your gain! You’ll leave either feeling grateful for your current relationship or with the realization that being single isn’t so bad after all.

Proceeds will help Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon continue its work to defend reproductive freedom and to hold politicians accountable. All advance ticketholders are entered in a drawing for fabulous door prizes, so get your tickets today!

It’s true! Every year, the Oregon Political Tax Credit allows taxpaying Oregonians to give $50 per person or $100 per couple to a PAC and receive this amount back at tax time. In other words, the state gives you a $50 gift to donate to the political cause of your choice. It’s a full 100% credit, not a deduction!

With your contribution, Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon can continue to get results like these:

• Educating Voters: In the 2012 election cycle, we produced our first-ever online Voter Guide and made 326,768 contacts with voters, helping secure a pro-women’s health majority in the Oregon Legislature!

• Protecting Women’s Health: By ensuring support in Salem, we can continue to defend family-planning programs and block attacks on reproductive freedom. We’ll also continue to push hard to end fraudulent practices at so-called “Crisis Pregnancy Centers.”

• Defending Oregon’s Constitution: This year we kept a dangerous constitutional amendment off the ballot that would have prohibited access to medically necessary abortion coverage for low-income women. Opponents of women’s health are already working to revive this measure for 2014, and with your help, we’ll continue to fight it.

With the end of the year fast approaching, now is the time to spend your Oregon Political Tax Credit before it expires. Click here to make a donation today. (For detailed instructions on how to claim your Oregon Political Tax Credit, click here.)

It’s been quite a year for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon: Komen...the all-male panel...vagina-gate...“legitimate rape”...“binders full of women.”

Fortunately, 2012 culminated in a stunning victory at the ballot box: We not only re-elected President Obama, but we regained a pro-women’s health majority in the Oregon Legislature! Celebrate with us at our 2nd annual holiday benefit, Naughty Listed: Stories of Holiday Misbehavior, in Portland and Eugene. We’ll set politics aside for the evening while listening to Oregon’s sharpest storytellers sharing hilarious memories of holiday
mischief and wintry discontent. (Think:
dry turkeys, ugly sweaters, awkward family moments, general humbuggery.)

Tickets are on sale now, so don’t delay! Makes for a great present, too: Give the gift of laughter!

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, which engages in educational and electoral activity to promote the Planned Parenthood mission, celebrates last night's re-election of President Barack Obama and regaining a pro-women's health majority in the Oregon Legislature.

"President Obama signed one of the greatest advancements for women's health in decades," said Laura Terrill Patten, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. "Tonight, women in America came together to tell politicians that they've gone too far. If you look at this as a war on women, then this election clearly shows that women won."

For the 2012 election cycle, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon mobilized activists to fight back against unprecedented attacks on a woman's personal medical decisions. The organization's political action committee, Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon, conducted one of the state's most extensive voter-outreach programs to educate Oregonians about where candidates stand on women's health. This year Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon:

Made 326,768 contacts with voters via direct mail and telephone

Sent direct mail to 290,714 pro-women's health voters

Completed 29,754 one-on-one telephone conversations

Endorsed 50 candidates

Filled 440 volunteer shifts and recruited 14 interns

"Oregonians recognize that Planned Parenthood, family planning and healthcare reform are common-sense programs and smart investments," Terrill Patten said. "We are so grateful for all of the elected officials and volunteer activists who have stood up for Planned Parenthood in our time of need. Hopefully, politicians will get the message that they shouldn't interfere in personal medical decisions that should be left between a woman and her family, her faith and her doctor. As we saw last night, attacking women's health is just bad politics."

Democratic Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian has been a steadfast supporter of women’s health throughout his career. That’s why he has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon.

Avakian’s opponent — Republican Bruce Starr — believes politicians should be making decisions for us. Bruce Starr has voted time after time to chip away at Roe v. Wade, and he’s backed by extremists who want an absolute ban on abortion, with no exceptions.

Click here for a full picture of Bruce Starr’s terrible record on women’s health.

Planned
Parenthood PAC of Oregon today introduces its online Voter Guide — a voter
education tool built by Planned Parenthood Action Fund in collaboration with
Planned Parenthood advocacy organizations across the country. The online Voter
Guide has been optimized for both desktop computers and mobile devices, so
voters in Oregon can cast their ballot with accurate information and ratings on
where candidates — up and down ballot — stand on issues of importance to women
and women’s health.

The Voter
Guide allows users to find their candidates by entering their ZIP code. The
tool then pulls up data on federal, state and local candidates and ballot
measures that have been endorsed by Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon. The
candidate scores presented are based on votes on key legislation related to
women and women’s health, public statements and candidate questionnaires.

The online
Voter Guide has been built to be printer-friendly and infinitely shareable via
e-mail, Facebook and Twitter.

“The
online Voter Guide will help voters in Oregon make informed decisions at the
polls about which candidates to vote for based on where they stand on pivotal
health care issues,” said Laura Terrill Patten, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood
PAC of Oregon. “The online Voter Guide is part of Planned Parenthood PAC of
Oregon’s ongoing work to elect pro-women’s health candidates in Oregon and to
hold anti-women’s health candidates of either party accountable. Oregon voters
have the right to know which candidates will stand up and support the issues
they care about.”

As
advocates for medically accurate comprehensive sex education in public schools,
Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon knows the importance of protecting school funding that ensures all Oregon
students receive the education they deserve, and the programs that help them
stay healthy. Reinvesting in our schools is critical to protecting the
educational programs that are often first to be cut in a budget shortfall,
particularly health-related programs that educate youth about making
responsible decisions and preventing STDs.

That’s why we’re endorsing a YES vote on
Ballot Measure 85, which will reform the corporate kicker refund by putting
money into Oregon’s K-12 classrooms, rather than sending money to large,
out-of-state corporations. We’re also endorsing a NO
vote on Ballot Measure 84, a massive tax break for millionaires that would
result in hundreds of millions of dollars slashed from Oregon’s K-12 classrooms
and other priority services.

Click here for more information from Defend Oregon. Click here for a full list of our candidate endorsements.

We're still glowing from our Summer Victory Parties to celebrate major advancements in women's health: birth control with NO co-pays, and an election year WITHOUT any anti-choice ballot measures! Now here's another fun way you can help us continue this exciting momentum.

On September 8th, The Trudy Bauchery Variety Show featuring Charlotte Treuse will pack Cozmic Pizza with a wide array of sexy, talented entertainers to raise money for our work to keep Oregon a pro-choice state! Dr. Cabinet Jones will host a wild evening featuring:

Advance ticket purchasers will automatically be entered to win a fabulous door prize, so reserve a seat today for the early show or the late show! For more information, please visit the Facebook event page, which you can share with friends. See you September 8th!

WHAT: The Trudy Bauchery Variety Show featuring Charlotte TreuseWHEN: 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, September 8thWHERE: Cozmic Pizza, 199 W Eighth St. in EugeneTICKETS: $18 at the door or $15 in advance here (early show) and here (late show). You'll also receive a benefit voucher to redeem on the night of the show so that 30% of your food and beverage purchases goes to PPAO! This is an 18+ event.

This has already been an incredible summer for women's health. Come celebrate with us Aug. 1!

On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, the greatest advance in women's health in a generation. As a result, effective Aug. 1, birth control will be treated like any other preventive prescription, and will be available WITHOUT co-pays! Women spend up to $600 a year on birth control, and this decision means it will now be fully covered. The money women will save on birth control each year is equal to five weeks of groceries for a family of four, nine tanks of gas in a minivan, or one semester of college textbooks.

But that's not all: On July 4, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon learned that 2 dangerous anti-choice constitutional amendments FAILED to qualify for the November ballot. This means that we can now focus on a proactive agenda to secure a pro-women's health majority in the Legislature, instead of defending ourselves from another set of attacks.

Please join us for happy hour Aug. 1 on the patios at Mississippi Studios in Portland and Sam Bonds Garage in Eugene as we toast our progress and look ahead to a winning election! Together, we are making it clear that women's health matters!

We have important news to share that will shape Oregon’s political landscape in this crucial election year: Today we learned that 2 dangerous anti-choice constitutional amendments have FAILED to qualify for the November ballot. As a result, Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon can focus on a proactive agenda to secure a pro-women’s health majority in the Legislature, instead of defending ourselves from another set of attacks.

Together with our partners at the Pro-Choice Coalition of Oregon, we have been monitoring the signature-gathering process and building a campaign structure in the event of a ballot measure fight. At issue were 2 constitutional amendments that would have affected Oregon women’s access to reproductive health care:

Initiative Petition 22 would have amended the Oregon Constitution to declare “personhood” for fertilized eggs. This extreme measure could have resulted in outlawing birth control, in vitro fertilization and abortion even in the case of rape and incest.

Initiative Petition 25 would have amended the Oregon Constitution to prohibit access to medically necessary abortion coverage for low-income women. With no exception for the health of the woman, it would not only have denied many Oregon women access to the comprehensive health care they currently have, it would have denied services to women facing terrible health issues like cancer and severe fetal abnormalities.

Thankfully, Oregonians saw that these vague and confusing measures seriously threatened women’s health care. This is a major victory for choice – and a prime opportunity to keep our eyes on the prize. Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon is already interviewing candidates, making endorsements and registering voters to ensure a strong turnout in November. By making a donation today, you can help us achieve these goals. (Remember, the Oregon State Political Tax Credit allows Oregonians to give $50 per person or $100 per couple to the PAC of their choice and receive this amount back at tax time.)

The U.S. Conference of Mayors voted June 16 to pass a resolution, co-sponsored by Portland Mayor Sam Adams, in support of women's reproductive rights and funding for Planned Parenthood. The nonpartisan organization, which includes representatives from about 1,200 cities across the country, "urges Congress and the states to pursue a positive agenda that reaffirms fundamental rights and improves women's access to safe and comprehensive reproductive-health care." Here is the full text of the resolution:

SUPPORT WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

WHEREAS, Americans believe that women should be able to consult with their doctor, family, and faith about personal, private medical decisions; and

WHEREAS, states enacted twice as many anti-choice laws in 2011 as they did in the previous year, including laws that force women who choose abortion care to undergo a forced ultrasound procedure against their will and even if their doctors do not recommend one; and

WHEREAS, eight states since 2010 have enacted laws that ban abortion at 20 weeks, regardless of the women’s situation, without exceptions to protect her health, and in violation of the right to privacy guaranteed under Roe v. Wade; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to defund Title X, the only federal program exclusively dedicated to family-planning and reproductive-health care, and Planned Parenthood, jeopardizing access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other basic health care for millions of Americans; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. House of Representatives also passed a bill that could spur the Internal Revenue Service to audit rape survivors who choose abortion care and another bill that would allow hospitals to refuse emergency abortion care to women who could die without it; and

WHEREAS, the debate around women’s access to reproductive-health services, like contraception, has drawn offensive rhetoric; and

WHEREAS, reproductive-health care and the overwhelming majority of services provided by Planned Parenthood health centers is basic health care for women, including cancer screenings and breast exams; and

WHEREAS, for many women with limited incomes, Planned Parenthood clinics are their point of entry into the health care system and their ongoing source of primary care services; and

WHEREAS, if these services disappear, more women are likely to contract diseases that will imperil their lives and lead to highly expensive Medicaid and Medicare bills borne by taxpayers; and

WHEREAS, these programs are essential to reducing rates of unintended pregnancy and preventing the increase of the number of women with cervical and breast cancers who are not diagnosed until the cancers are in the late stages; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors affirms the importance of women’s reproductive rights; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress and the states to pursue a positive agenda that reaffirms fundamental rights and improves women’s access to safe and comprehensive reproductive-health care.

Great news! Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon has been selected as the beneficiary for the next installment of Gay Skate and Game Night, a wildly popular all-ages monthly event at Oaks Amusement Park in Portland. Mark your calendar for Monday, June 11th!

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon is proud of our role in advocating at the state level for increased access to health care, including affordable birth control and life-saving cancer screenings. PPAO supports legislative and policy initiatives that address disparities in health care for underserved populations, including gay and transgender people, and promoting age-appropriate, medically accurate and fully inclusive sex education for youth and teens. Please join us for a fun-filled celebration of LGBT Pride Month for families and folks of all ages featuring:

Roller Skating: Lace up your skates as you do the Hokey Pokey at one of the oldest continuously operated amusement parks in the United States!

Games: For the nonskaters who still want to hang out, play Trivial Pursuit, Cranium, Spoons and anything appropriate you want to bring along.

Fab’Daddy Trivia: Form teams and win prizes based on your knowledge of all kinds of trivial stuff. Identify video clips, name tunes, answer questions, have fun! The theme for June is “Stonewall.”

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon is "tickled pink" to present the 4th Annual Pink Party, a wildly popular fundraiser for our Multnomah County Legislative Action Team!

This year's headliner is Blouse, which recently was named one of Portland's 10 best new bands of 2012. Willamette Week raves, "Blouse is Portland's contribution to a global resurgence of sexy, breathy synth-laden dance pop—a tide of pining for the muted side of New Wave and its bruised Casios."

There will also be music spun by DJs Cryder and Hero Worship, dancing, signature drinks, a sexy photo booth and the infamous kissing booth! Last year's Pink Party was a packed house, so be sure to get your tickets today.

As a preview for the 2012 Courageous Voice Breakfast with Valerie Plame Wilson (May 3 at Portland Art Museum), Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon presents a special screening of Fair Game, the critically acclaimed 2010 film based on her life story. The suggested donation is $10, with FREE admission for Courageous Voice Breakfast ticketholders! (To reserve a seat or a table for the Courageous Voice Breakfast, click here or call 503-775-4931 x3277.)

Retired U.S. Ambassador Joe Wilson (Academy Award winner Sean Penn) and his wife, CIA officer Valerie Plame (Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts), become "fair game" after an op-ed column written by Wilson clouds the case being made by the George W. Bush administration to topple the regime of Saddam Hussein. This fact-based political thriller derived from the couple's memoirs (Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House and The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity) depicts the dramatic fallout from the outing of Plame's covert status.

Also starring Academy Award nominee Sam Shepard (The Right Stuff), Emmy Award winner Ty Burrell (Modern Family) and Bruce McGill (The Insider). From the director of The Bourne Identity.

Last year, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon launched the Marilyn Epstein Pro-Choice Champion Award to recognize a leader who goes above and beyond in advocating for women’s and reproductive health care issues. We are proud to announce that Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown will be the recipient of this year’s award at the 2012 Courageous Voice Breakfast with Valerie Plame Wilson, which will be held Thursday, May 3rd at Portland Art Museum’s Kridel Grand Ballroom.

Before being elected to office, Brown began her career as an advocate working with the Women’s Rights Coalition to pass Family Medical Leave and numerous bills on women’s health, domestic violence and economic fairness for women in the workplace. Thanks to the work of her and many others, Oregon became one of the first states in the country to allow parents to stay home with their sick family members without fear of losing their job.

As a freshman legislator in 1993, Brown helped found the Oregon Women’s Health and Wellness Alliance, a legislative coalition of advocates and elected officials who have passed multiple laws to improve the lives and health of women and their families in Oregon.

Since then, Brown has been a leader in standing up for a woman’s right to choose and protecting access to health care, even in the toughest of economic and political times. She was an early pioneer of the movement for contraceptive equity for Oregon women: In 2007, after a 14-year battle with the far right and the insurance industry, she succeeded in prohibiting insurance companies from excluding prescription contraceptives if they cover other prescription drugs. For Brown, it was a matter of basic fairness. At the time, women of reproductive age paid an average of 68% more for out-of-pocket health care coverage than men.

And that’s not all:

Kate Brown led the effort to require hospitals to offer emergency contraceptives to women who seek them after sexual assault.

The Nation - the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States, founded in 1865 - recognized the political influence of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon in its March 26 edition.

"The Genius of Cecile Richards," a cover story about the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, outlines the growing power of Planned Parenthood "to convert bodies into voters, into activists." Political journalist Elizabeth Mitchell, author of W.: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty and former executive editor of George magazine, gives special attention PPAO's role in an aggressive multimedia independent expenditure campaign for the 1st Congressional District race:

In the case of the Oregon special election of Suzanne Bonamici in late January, nearly eight in ten voters for Bonamici said her opponent’s anti-choice stand made them "less likely" to vote for him. To put Bonamici over the top, Planned Parenthood coordinated with EMILY’s List on TV, print and online ads, and direct mailing. They regularly held phone-banking sessions targeting about 17,000 female swing voters.

Our irreverent friends at The Portland Mercury have selected Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon as the beneficiary for the next Skate-a-Roke, an all-ages party combining roller skating and karaoke!

"This is probably the proudest event we've hosted, besides that one time we made two dogs wrestle under a blanket for a holiday ham," raves Mercury writer Courtney Ferguson. "It's going to be a huge humdinger of a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, as all the funnest people in Portland gather to sing their best skate-jam karaoke tunes and the rest of the gang rolls around Oaks Park in four-wheeled bliss. The karaoke setup will be on the rink, for an element of danger and derring-do. Dress up! I'm thinking sequins and tube socks!"

KJ John Brophy of Baby Ketten Karaoke will be providing the tunes. To preview the vast song selection, click here.

Partial proceeds go to Planned Parenthood's political arm to help preserve Oregon's status as one of the three most pro-choice states in the nation!

Spring is such a wonderful time to celebrate women’s health. And that’s just what we’re looking to do at Uncorked: an evening of wine, women and song.

Please join us Friday, March 9th at Studio West in Eugene. We’ll listen to the sweet serenade of Concrete Loveseat while we enjoy delicious wine and hors d'oeuvres. Our new Executive Director, Laura Terrill Patten, will be there to help us kick off the festivities and share a bit about the landscape for women’s health in the coming year.

Save the date on your calendar! You won’t want to miss this great event hosted by your local Lane County Legislative Action Team.

WHEN: 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 9th, 2012

WHERE: Studio West, 245 W Eighth Ave., Eugene

ADMISSION: $20 in advance, $22 at the door. For tickets, click here. If you cannot attend but would like to support Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, click here. Please note: This is a 21-and-older event.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon is thrilled to share the news that Valerie Plame Wilson will be the keynote speaker for our second annual Courageous Voice Breakfast. She will discuss her New York Times bestseller, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, sharing her thoughts on what she views as unprecedented abuse of public trust by the Bush administration in its efforts to subvert the right of free speech.

Following on the heels of last year’s sold-out appearance by Anita Hill, Courageous Voice 2012 promises to be another inspiring celebration. We will also present the Marilyn Epstein Pro-Choice Champion Award to Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown.

Our 3rd annual Valentine's Day benefit, It's Not Me, It's You: Stories from the Dark Side of Dating, was a huge success! More than 500 people - a record-setting number - packed Portland's Bagdad Theater to hear brave storytellers share memories about awkward love connections, broken hearts and bad sex.

With the generosity of these talented performers, our dedicated volunteers, local sponsors and the hosting team of Cort Webber and Bobby Roberts (of the popular podcast cortandfatboy), the event brought in more than twice our fundraising goal! Here are some of the highlights:

* Introducing our new Executive Director, Laura Terrill Patten, to the Portland crowd. She's pictured here (on the left) with former PPAO Board Chair Jennifer Williamson, who's running for Oregon House District 36 with our enthusiastic endorsement! Another one of our endorsees, Portland City Council candidate Mary Nolan, was also in attendance.

* Listening in on the "lightning round" between Portland Mercury writers Sarah Mirk and Alison Hallett, who were vying for the title of Worst Judgment Ever. The "winner" was Sarah Mirk. Congratulations?

*Wishing a happy 41st birthday to Yvonne, an audience member who donned a sash and tiara to celebrate the end of her breast cancer treatment.

Special thanks to media sponsor The Portland Mercury, photographer Andie Petkus, graphic designer Krissy Gilhoolyof Potassium Design, Courtenay Hameister, Roey Thorpe and to all of the folks who came out to stand with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon!

Tickets are still available for the Eugene installment of It's Not Me, It's You: Stories from the Dark Side of Dating on Friday, February 10th at Cozmic Pizza. Click here for details.

It’s Not Me, It’s You: Stories from the Dark Side of Dating is an evening featuring brave storytellers sharing hilarious memories about their worst dating experiences. You'll either leave feeling grateful for your current relationship or convinced that being single isn't so bad after all.

A beloved benefit for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon since 2010, It's Not Me, It's You is expanding to Eugene this year. All advance ticketholders are entered in a drawing for fabulous door prizes, so get your tickets today!

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and EMILY's List are partnering to launch an aggressive multimedia independent expenditure campaign to help elect Suzanne Bonamici in the upcoming special congressional election in Oregon's 1st District. Together they are reaching out to key voters to educate them about the extreme anti-women's health record of Rob Cornilles.

The coordinated multimedia effort includes a TV ad, online ads, a new website, and direct mail that use Tea Party Republican Rob Cornilles' own words to show women voters how extreme he is.

It means that voters will see the same message about Cornilles' out-of-touch record on women's health wherever they look, whether in their mailboxes, on TV, or online.

Watch the EMILY's List TV ad here:

The three-piece mail program will target independent women voters under 55, a key voting bloc that often decides close elections. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon is a trusted messenger to these women voters.

"Rob Cornilles is hiding the ball. He claims the House plays a 'very limited role' on choice, but last spring the Republicans nearly shut down the federal government while attempting to defund Planned Parenthood," said Amy Hojnowski, interim executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. "We're proud to partner with EMILY's List to alert voters that Rob Cornilles' extreme views are out of touch with the values of the 1st Congressional District."

"Voters are often overwhelmed with messages," said Deirdre Schifeling, national organizing and electoral campaigns director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. "That's why we are targeting voters through multiple ways to ensure they know that Suzanne Bonamici is a strong and outspoken advocate for Oregon’s women and families, and that her opponent Rob Cornilles is way out of the mainstream."

"Voters in Oregon's 1st District are very clear: They want a pro-choice representative," said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List. "Tea Party politician Rob Cornilles has tried to have it both ways - embracing the endorsement of the Oregon Right to Life and then hoping women will see him as a moderate. We'll be on the air and online making sure women voters are very clear on where Rob Cornilles stands: against their right to make their own medical decisions. We're confident that women voters in Oregon will get Democrats off to strong start in 2012 by electing a proud, pro-choice Democratic woman, Suzanne Bonamici."

The election is January 31. However, since it is vote by mail, voting will start January 13.

It’s true! Every year, the Oregon Political Tax Credit allows taxpaying Oregonians to give $50 per person or $100 per couple to a PAC and receive this amount back at tax time. In other words, the state gives you a $50 gift to donate to the political cause of your choice. It’s a full 100% credit, not a deduction!

With your contribution, Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon can continue to get results like these:

• Protecting Choice: We’ve defeated 5 anti-choice ballot measures over the years, and we’re already building the campaign structure necessary to fight up to two anti-choice measures that will appear on the 2012 ballot, including an abortion ban that would grant “personhood” status to fertilized eggs.

• Educating Voters: In the last election cycle, we distributed our comprehensive 2010 Pro-Choice Voter Guide and made more than 250,000 contacts with voters, helping secure the election of Gov. John Kitzhaber as well as two-thirds of our endorsed candidates in the Oregon Legislature.

• Supporting Allies: By ensuring a pro-choice Legislature, we were able to block 5 attacks on reproductive rights in the last legislative session, including a ban on abortions after 20 weeks. We’ll also continue to push hard for a bill to end fraudulent practices at anti-choice “Crisis Pregnancy Centers.”

With the end of the year fast approaching, now is the time to spend your Oregon Political Tax Credit before it expires. With your help, Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon can continue to secure access to family planning services, defeat anti-choice ballot measures and retain a pro-choice Legislature. Click here to make a donation today. (For detailed instructions on how to claim your Oregon Political Tax Credit, click here.)